Dropbox is a great way to share files with your friends, but if you need to share multiple files, you have to zip them up into an archive first. If you already have them in a folder, though, here's one way to share them without zipping them up.

Windows: Spending a half-hour slowly downloading a huge Zip archive only to discover it's corrupt is a pain. Avoid it with Zip2Fix, a utlity that won't fix corrupt archives, but will extract any and all undamaged files from it.

You can use TrueCrypt or special apps to encrypt your sensitive data stored on Dropbox, but for greater accessibility and reduced bandwidth consumption, another alternative is to use a password-protected, encrypted zip file in Dropbox.

Mac OS X's Archive Utility is a handy built-in tool, but it has some annoying quirks—like the fact that it automatically unzips files but leaves the original archive in place. Here's how to tweak its preferences more to your liking.

Dear Lifehacker,
Can you help me understand the different file compression formats? It seems like there are a ton out there (zip, gzip, bzip1, tar, rar, 7z, etc.), but what are the differences between them, and which one should I use?

Windows only: 7-Zip, one of those essential little Windows utilities that always makes our Lifehacker Pack, has updated to version 9.2. The tool still does its basic job well, but now supports some EXE, FLV, and SWF files as well.

You may or may not continue using Wave as an open-source "box,", but if you want to archive any important conversations you've had in it, you can now export a Wave into HTML or ZIP files, attachments included.

iOS does pretty well with handling various file types, but when it comes to compressed files you run into problems. Fortunately, with the aid of a file browsing app you'll be able to view compressed files easily.

Windows only: You've waited hours for the download to come through. You jump into your downloads folder, right-click to extract the file, and ... ERROR. DiskInternals' free ZIP Repair app mends those files that didn't come through to save you the re-download.

Google Docs has officially thrown open their data doors, allowing users to back up all their documents to whatever formats they choose and compressed into a ZIP file. It's serious peace of mind for those concerned about the cloud.

Web site FilesOverMiles shares files directly between your web browser and the person you want to share with, cutting out the web server as a middleman for instant, uncapped* peer-to-peer file sharing between two users.

When you're at your own (Windows) computer, use 7-Zip to extract almost any kind of compressed archive. When you're somewhere you can't use 7-Zip, try WobZip, a neat, helpful online decompression tool.

Click to viewWhether you've been sent a simple ZIP archive, you need to create and share your own compressed files, or you're staring down the barrel of some obscure archive format you've never seen before, having the right file compression application in your corner is a must. Earlier this week we asked you to share…

Your internet tubes may have grown significantly in the past 10 years—making file downloads faster than ever—but that doesn't mean you don't still deal with compressed files every day. Fact is, nothing saves time sharing files like a good file compression application, and these days, you're dealing with so many more…

Windows only: ExtractNow is a free application with a singular focus: extracting your files lightning fast. Sometimes it's worth eschewing all the bells and whistles of more robust program for a feature that works extremely well. ExtractNow is a bulk extraction tool that supports ZIP, RAR, ISO, BIN, IMG, IMA, IMZ,…